Flightseeing Mt. McKinley/Denali

What sets this apart from other flightseeing tours in Alaska is Mt. McKinley, Mt. Foraker, and Mt. Hunter. These are some of the highest and most spectacular mountains in Alaska. These mountains are a favorite among climbers. You can even land on either Ruth Glacier or the Kahiltna Glacier.

Quick Tips:

If you have some flexibility in your schedule, wait for a nice, clear day when much of the mountain is visible. Granted, nice days like that can be hard to come by. Both times I've flown this tour, I've had beautiful weather with clear, cloudless skies.

Also, use a company out of Talkeetna or as close to Denali as possible so that your flight time isn't spent trying to get there.

Shop around for an air taxi service that allows both sides of the plane to see Mt. McKinley, Mt. Hunter, Mt. Foraker, etc.

Best Way To Get Around:

Drive to Talkeetna or wherever you chose to fly from.

Flightseeing Mt. McKinley aka Denali can be a wonderful experience. However, if you choose the wrong air taxi you could be wasting your money. I have flown Mt. McKinley before and had an awesome time. This time I paid Talkeetna Air Taxi $325 and did not see any of the sites that Talkeetna Air Taxi promised: Mt. McKinley, Mt Foraker, the Wickersham wall, etc. If you decide to do a flightseeing tour of Denali, I would not recommend Talkeetna Air Taxi. The route they follow gives only one side of the plane a chance to see these great mountains. A good company will turn the plane often so that both sides can see. With Talkeetna Air Taxi, if you are on the wrong side, "too bad so sad, you don't see any of that." When I asked the pilot if our side would get a chance to see Mt. McKinley, etc., he said: "The mountain isn't going to move. HA! Ha!" What I was hoping for was "yeah, I'll be turning the plane so the rest of you can see it too." Not a chance. When I told the company I was not happy with the way they handled their tour, I got only an email saying that I could spend another $325 to go on another flight with them and they would give me a whopping $60 off that flight. Why would I do that and risk the same poor service. So, choose your air taxi wisely. Make sure the company you fly with allows opportunities for both sides of the plane to see the sights.

The Talkeetna River runs through Talkeetna. From the river, my husband and son saw some great views of Mt. McKinley aka Denali. (In fact, they saw more of Mt. McKinley, Mt. Foraker, and Mt. Hunter than I did from my flightseeing tour.) The river is a great place to have a picnic or just enjoy the view.